AKT
Mr. Gaminara
Para 32 extrader вона
bHKI
9/1
Para Ś(a) 40 (d) Eshäcker b HKK 1/8
Mr. Kinnear
CONFIDENTIAL
Reference....
R
En
32
I ran over with you briefly the points that came J up during the meeting Mr. Royle had this morning with Sir L. Monson, Mr. Wilford and myself.
2.
We should, however, have something on record and I am, therefore, putting the outcome of the meeting down on paper.
Primary Education
3.
We know that it is the aim of the Hong Kong Government to provide free primary education, probably towards the end of this year or early next. There are, however, real difficulties, of which we are all aware, in making it compulsory. Nevertheless, Article 14 of the Inter- national Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides for the implementation of a scheme over a period of years.
That article reads as follows :
4.
"Each State Party to the present Covenant which, at the time of becoming a Party, has not been able to secure in its metropolitan territory or other territories under its jurisdiction compulsory primary education, free of charge, undertakes, within two years, to work out and adopt a detailed plan of action for the progressive implementation, within a reasonable number of years, to be fixed in the plan, of the principle of compulsory education free of charge for all."
It was agreed at this morning's meeting that the Governor should be asked to make an announcement about free primary education as soon as possible and to consider again when compulsory primary education could be introduced. This latter step would presumably involve legislation.
The Establishment of an Ombudsman
5. It was accepted that there is the constitutional difficulty over the authority to whom an Ombudsman would report. In spite of this Mr. Royle would like a proposition put to the Governor on the following lines :
(a) An Ombudsman should be appointed. His office
would be quite distinct from the normal machinery of government. It would be best to look for a British barrister for the job which would have · to be pretty highly paid, viz: on a par with, say, the Colonial Secretary and the Chief Justice. The Ombudsman would have to have a suitable staff including a Chinese No. 2.
(b) We should consult our own Parliamentary
Commissioner about this proposal, indicating tactfully the answer we wanted from him. discuss how we do this with Sir L. Monson.
I shall
CONFIDENTIAL
/ (c).